The invention relates to a new architecture of housings for a communication terminal, e.g. a handset or handheld phone. Handheld phones are traditionally equipped with detachable battery packs. This is caused by the fact that some years ago the phones had a stand-by time in the range of 10 hours. The recharging time could be several hours. The user needed to have several battery packs which could easily be exchanged for his phone. Today, the typical stand-by times for standard batteries are in the range of 75-150 hours or even longer.
At present, the majority of all phones are provided with a separate battery pack that can be exchanged. U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,741 describes such a battery pack in which the battery elements are coated by a molded plastics foam material for keeping the elements in position. Recently, some phones have been provided with a battery chamber and a removable cover for the battery chamber. Then the battery is handled as an ordinary non-rechargeable battery for electrical devices. However, the rechargeable battery may be recharged both when placed inside the phone and when removed.
The invention provides a new and improved construction of a communication terminal where the battery is handled as an integrated component.
In accordance with the invention there is provided a communication terminal in which a printed circuit board (PCB) is sandwiched between a front cover and a back cover of the communication terminal. At least one battery element is placed between said printed circuit board and the back cover of the communication terminal, and said at least one battery element and said printed circuit board are separated by a flexible and compressible partition wall which, when the communication terminal is assembled, provides bias between said at least one battery element and said printed circuit board.
By leaving out the battery cover the user will no longer have access to the battery chamber, and thereby the stiff partition wall separating the battery chamber and the electronics of the handset may be left out. This reduces the number of mechanical components for the communication terminal, e.g. the phone, the volume of the phone and the costs of the phone. The relative position between the at least one battery element and said printed circuit board is kept by the mechanical bias force caused by the flexible and compressible partition wall. The partition wall is preferably formed by foamed plastics or rubber.
By providing one side of the partition wall with a conducting layer, open shielding boxes on the printed circuit board will be closed effectively. The conducting layer may be formed by gluing a metallic foil and the foamed plastics or rubber layer together.
Hereby the battery element may be treated as a component corresponding to all other components in the phone. The battery as a component is expected to have a life time corresponding to several years. With a long stand-by time and a low recharging time the users do not need to change or remove the battery. Anyway, if the battery needs to be changed, this can be done at a service site in the same manner as changing a broken LCD display.
According to a preferred embodiment the battery, e.g. a flexible Lithium-Polymer battery, is welded to the printed circuit board of the communication terminal. The terminals of the battery are advantageously provided as flexible metallic strips, and these may be welded or soldered to the printed circuit board. Thereby the printed circuit board and the battery are provided as a hinged assembly prior to the assembling of the communication terminal.